Antioxidant and Sensory Assessment of Innovative Coffee Blends of Reduced Caffeine Content

Considering the current trend in the global coffee market, which involves an increased demand for decaffeinated coffee, the aim of the present study was to formulate coffee blends with reduced caffeine content, but with pronounced antioxidant and attractive sensory properties. For this purpose, green and roasted Arabica and Robusta coffee beans of different origins were subjected to the screening analysis of their chemical and bioactive composition using standard AOAC, spectrophotometric and chromatographic methods. From roasted coffee beans, espresso, Turkish and filter coffees were prepared, and their sensory evaluation was performed using a 10-point hedonic scale. The results showed that Arabica coffee beans were richer in sucrose and oil, while Robusta beans were characterized by higher content of all determined bioactive parameters. Among all studied samples, the highest content of 3-O-caffeoylquinic acid (14.09 mg g⁻¹ dmb), 4-O-caffeoylquinic acid (8.23 mg g⁻¹ dmb) and 5-O-caffeoylquinic acid (4.65 mg g⁻¹ dmb), as well as caffeine (22.38 mg g⁻¹ dmb), was detected in roasted Robusta beans from the Minas Gerais region of Brazil, which were therefore used to formulate coffee blends with reduced caffeine content. Robusta brews were found to be more astringent and recognized as more sensorily attractive, while Arabica decaffeinated brews were evaluated as more bitter. The obtained results point out that coffee brews may represent a significant source of phenolic compounds, mainly caffeoylquinic acids, with potent antioxidant properties, even if they have reduced caffeine content.     

Profiles of sulfur containing compounds obtained from Arabica and Robusta coffees by capillary column gas chromatography

Summary The profiles of sulfur containing compounds present in both Arabica and Robusta coffees were determined by concentrating the volatiles from dry ground roasted coffee headspace, pressed coffee oil or brewed coffee headspace onto an adsorbent (Tenax) which was then thermally desorbed into a capillary column. The volatiles were then chromatographed and detected with a flame photometric detector. Significant quantitative differences between the profiles of Arabica coffee and Robusta coffee are found for all three sample types with a few components being up to 20-times more concentrated in the Robusta coffee than in the Arabica coffee. These differences may be utilized to detect as little as 1 % Robusta coffee present in Arabica coffee.     

Impact of Brewing Methods on Total Phenolic Content (TPC) in Various Types of Coffee

Coffee is a widely consumed beverage, both in Europe, where its consumption is highest, and on other continents. It provides many compounds, including phenolic compounds. The aim of the study was to assess the effect of various brewing methods on the total phenolic content (TPC) in the infusion. Research material comprised commercially available coffees: Instant Arabica and Robusta, freshly ground Arabica and Robusta (immediately prior to the analysis), ground Arabica and Robusta, decaffeinated Arabica, and green Arabica and Robusta. The following preparation methods were used: Pouring hot water over coffee grounds or instant coffee, preparing coffee in a percolator and using a coffee machine. Additional variables which were employed were water temperature (90 or 100 °C) and its type (filtered or unfiltered). In order to determine the impact of examined factors, 225 infusion were prepared. Total phenolic content was determined by the spectrophotometric method using the Folin-Ciocalteu reagent and the obtained results were expressed in mg gallic acid (GAE) per 100 g of brewed coffee. The highest value was obtained for 100% Arabica ground coffee prepared in a coffee percolator using unfiltered water at a temperature of 100 °C: 657.3 ± 23 mg GAE/100 g of infusion. High values were also observed for infusions prepared in a coffee machine, where the highest TPC value was 363.8 ± 28 mg GAE/100 g for ground Arabica. In turn, the lowest TPC was obtained for Arabica green coffee in opaque packaging, brewed with filtered water at a temperature of 100 °C: 19.5 ± 1 mg GAE/100 g of infusion. No significant effect of temperature and water type on the TPC within one type of coffee was observed. Due to its high content of phenolic compounds, Arabica coffee brewed in a coffee percolator should be the most popular choice for coffee drinkers.     

Hierarchical scheme for liquid chromatography/multi‐stage spectrometric identification of 3,4,5‐triacyl chlorogenic acids in green Robusta coffee beans

Liquid chromatography/multi‐stage spectrometry (LC/MSⁿ) (n = 2–4) has been used to detect and characterize in green Robusta coffee beans eight quantitatively minor triacyl chlorogenic acids with seven of them not previously reported in nature. These comprise 3,4,5‐tricaffeoylquinic acid (Mr 678); 3,5‐dicaffeoyl‐4‐feruloylquinic acid, 3‐feruloyl‐4,5‐dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,4‐dicaffeoyl‐5‐feruloylquinic acid (Mr 692); 3‐caffeoyl‐4,5‐diferuloylquinic acid and 3,4‐diferuloyl‐5‐caffeoylquinic acid (Mr 706); and 3,4‐dicaffeoyl‐5‐sinapoylquinic acid and 3‐sinapoyl‐4,5‐dicaffeoylquinic acid (Mr 722). Structures have been assigned on the basis of LC/MSⁿ patterns of fragmentation. A new hierarchical key for the identification of triacyl quinic acids is presented, based on previously established rules of fragmentation. Fifty‐two chlorogenic acids have now been characterized in green Robusta coffee beans. In this study five samples of green Robusta coffee beans and fifteen samples of Arabica coffee beans were analyzed with triacyl chlorogenic acids only found in Robusta coffee bean extracts. These triacyl chlorogenic acids could be considered as useful phytochemical markers for the identification of Robusta coffee beans. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Zirconium phosphate organically intercalated/exfoliated with long chain amine

The applicability of thermogravimetry (TG) coupled to single photon ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (TG-SPI-TOFMS) for evolved gas analysis (EGA) of coffee is demonstrated in this study. Coffee is a chemically well-known complex food product of large scientific and commercial interest. The roasting process of single green coffee beans (Arabica, Robusta) was simulated in the TG-SPI-TOFMS device, and the chemical composition of the evolved roasting gases was monitored on-line. Additionally, roasted and ground coffee powders of different types and brands as well as instant coffee were successfully investigated. For example, the diterpenes cafestol and kahweol can be detected among many other roasting products. These compounds can be of particular interest for quality control of coffee. It is shown that kahweol can be used as a tracer compound to discriminate arabica coffee species from robusta species.     

Chlorogenic acid and caffeine contents and anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of green beans of conilon and arabica coffees harvested with different degrees of maturation

This work aimed at assessing 3-caffeoylquinic acid (chlorogenic acid) and caffeine contents and in vitro anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities of nine genotypes of conilon coffee, one cultivar of Arabica and one of Robusta, with different degrees of maturation. All genotypes were harvested with three degrees of maturation (60%, 80%, and 100%), accounting 33 samples of green coffee beans. Metabolite contents were quantified by HPLC with a C18 reverse-phase column. Chromatograms were obtained by UV at 274 nm wavelength for caffeine and 325 nm for chlorogenic acid. Antioxidant activity was measured by FRAP, ABTS, and DPPH, and anti-inflammatory activity, by inhibition of production of NO, O₂^?, and IL-6 and TNF-α cytokines in macrophages culture stimulated with bacterial endotoxin (LPS). Cell viability was evaluated by MTT method. K-means clustering followed principal component analysis (PCA) to check for correlations. The results showed that the degree of maturation significantly affected the levels of chlorogenic acid and caffeine. For both chlorogenic acid and caffeine, all conilon genotypes had higher contents than Arabica coffee. The values found for chlorogenic acid in conilon coffees ranged from 9.1 to 11.7%, while in Arabica coffee it ranged from 8.7 to 9.2%. Among the 33 assessed coffees, C101, C105, and Robusta displayed the best antioxidant profiles, while the genotypes C303, C304, and C306 revealed strong anti-inflammatory responses, with O₂^? and IL-6 inhibitions close to 100%. Despite the absence of statistical correlation, it is known that the presence of both metabolites contributed to the activities, as chlorogenic acid presented high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities and caffeine, elevated anti-inflammatory activity.     

High resolution gas chromatographic method for determination of Robusta coffee in commercial blends

The unsaponifiable lipid fractions extracted from Arabica and Robusta coffee samples were analyzed by high resolution gas chromatography (HRGC) in a polar column with a thermally stable stationary phase (TAP, Chrompack). Certain characteristic ratios among diterpenic alcohols were found to permit measurement of the amount of Robusta blended with Arabica coffee, given a minimum content of 5–10%. Determination does not appear to be influenced by geographic origin of produce or even by decaffeination.     

Looking into individual coffee beans during the roasting process: direct micro-probe sampling on-line photo-ionisation mass spectrometric analysis of coffee roasting gases

A micro-probe (μ-probe) gas sampling device for on-line analysis of gases evolving in confined, small objects by single-photon ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SPI-TOFMS) was developed. The technique is applied for the first time in a feasibility study to record the formation of volatile and flavour compounds during the roasting process within (inside) or in the direct vicinity (outside) of individual coffee beans. A real-time on-line analysis of evolving volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds (VOC and SVOC) as they are formed under the mild pyrolytic conditions of the roasting process was performed. The soft-ionisation mass spectra depict a molecular ion signature, which is well corresponding with the existing knowledge of coffee roasting and evolving compounds. Additionally, thereby it is possible to discriminate between Coffea arabica (Arabica) and Coffea canephora (Robusta). The recognized differences in the roasting gas profiles reflect the differences in the precursor composition of the coffee cultivars very well. Furthermore, a well-known set of marker compounds for Arabica and Robusta, namely the lipids kahweol and cafestol (detected in their dehydrated form at m/z 296 and m/z 298, respectively) were observed. If the variation in time of different compounds is observed, distinctly different evolution behaviours were detected. Here, phenol (m/z 94) and caffeine (m/z 194) are exemplary chosen, whereas phenol shows very sharp emission peaks, caffeine do not have this highly transient behaviour. Finally, the changes of the chemical signature as a function of the roasting time, the influence of sampling position (inside, outside) and cultivar (Arabica, Robusta) is investigated by multivariate statistics (PCA). In summary, this pilot study demonstrates the high potential of the measurement technique to enhance the fundamental knowledge of the formation processes of volatile and semi-volatile flavour compounds inside the individual coffee bean.     

A microwave-based extraction method for the determination of sugar and polyols: Application to the characterization of regular and peaberry coffees

The brewing properties of coffee products are defined by the chemical composition in the bean, including sugars and polyols. Some factors, such as coffee species and roasting, may affect the level of these compounds in the bean. A new analytical microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) method has been developed to extract sugars and polyols from the coffee bean. The studied extraction conditions for the MAE were temperature (30–80 °C), solvent composition (0–50% ethanol in water), and solvent-to-sample ratio (10:1–30:1 mL solvent per g sample). A Box-Behnken design was applied to study the effect of extraction variables, and subsequently, the influential variables were optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). In addition to the main effect of the solvent-to-sample ratio, all quadratic effects significantly influenced (p < 0.05) the recovery of sugars and polyols from the coffee beans. RSM suggested the optimized MAE conditions: temperature 52 °C, ethanol concentration in water 18.5%, and solvent-to-sample ratio 17:1. Under the optimum condition, a kinetics study confirmed that 15 min showed high precision and accuracy of the developed method. Ultimately, a real sample application of the developed MAE revealed that the new method successfully described the composition of sugars and polyols in regular and peaberry coffee beans. Additionally, the method also effectively characterized the green and roasted Arabica and Robusta coffee beans.     

Evaluation of alignment methods and data pretreatments on the determination of the most important peaks for the discrimination of coffee varieties Arabica and Robusta using gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy

Coffee samples were analyzed by GC/MS in order to determine the most important peaks for the discrimination of the varieties Arabica and Robusta. The resulting peak tables from chromatographic analysis were aligned and pretreated before being submitted to multivariate analysis. A rapid and easy-to-perform peak alignment procedure, which does not require advanced programming skills to use, was compared with the tedious manual alignment procedure. The influence of three types of data pretreatment, normalization, logarithmic and square root transformations and their combinations, on the variables selected as most important by the regression coefficients of partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), are shown. Test samples different from those used in the calibration and comparison with the substances already known as being responsible for Arabica and Robusta coffees discrimination were used to determine the best pretreatments for both datasets. The data pretreatment consisting of square root transformation followed by normalization (RN) was chosen as being the most appropriate. The results obtained showed that the much quicker automated aligned method could be used as a substitute for the manually aligned method, allowing all the peaks in the chromatogram to be used for multivariate analysis.     

High resolution gas chromatographic determination of diterpenic alcohols and sterols in coffee lipids

Summary The composition of the unsaponifiable fraction of coffee lipids extracted before and after roasting was determined in two coffee types (Arabica and Robusta) of different geographic origin. Component identification was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Large amounts of diterpene mono- and di-alcohols were found in both varieties; cafestol, kahweol and 16-O-methylcafestol were identified. Other components that were partly generated during roasting were also identified; these compounds seem to arise from the dehydration of cafestol and dehydrocafestol.     

High resolution gas chromatographic determination of diterpenic alcohols and sterols in coffee lipids

Summary The composition of the unsaponifiable fraction of coffee lipids extracted before and after roasting was determined in two coffee types (Arabica and Robusta) of different geographic origin. Component identification was performed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Large amounts of diterpene mono-and di-alcohols were found in both varieties; cafestol, kahweol and 16-O-methylcafestol were identified. Other components that were partly generated during roasting were also identified; these compounds seem to arise from the dehydration of cafestol and dehydrocafestol.     

Coffee aroma—Statistical analysis of compositional data

Solid-phase microextraction in headspace mode coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was applied to the determination of volatile compounds in 30 commercially available coffee samples. In order to differentiate and characterize Arabica and Robusta coffee, six major volatile compounds (acetic acid, 2-methylpyrazine, furfural, 2-furfuryl alcohol, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 5-methylfurfural) were chosen as the most relevant markers. Cluster analysis and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to the raw chromatographic data and data processed by centred logratio transformation.     

Qualitative analysis of green coffee by infrared spectrometry

Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were applied to the mid-infrared spectra for the qualitative analysis of the variety of green coffee (Arabica and Robusta). It is shown that the KBr pellet technique in combination with the LDA method can successfully be used for the identification of sample origin.     

Qualitative analysis of green coffee by infrared spectrometry

Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were applied to the mid-infrared spectra for the qualitative analysis of the variety of green coffee (Arabica and Robusta). It is shown that the KBr pellet technique in combination with the LDA method can successfully be used for the identification of sample origin.     

The Relationship of Reaction Temperature,Tg and Rich‐Syndiotacticity of Poly(alkyl methacrylate)s in Modified Microemulsion Polymerization

Nanoscale poly(alkyl methacrylate)s including poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(ethyl methacrylate), poly(cyclohexyl methacrylate), poly(iso‐butyl methacrylate) and poly(benzyl methacrylate) were prepared by a modified microemulsion polymerization procedure. NMR analysis suggested that these poly(methacrylate)s samples were higher in syndiotactic content, lower in isotactic content and the glass transition temperatures (T_gs) of them were also higher than those reported in the literature. The tacticities of the poly(methacrylate)s, beside the restricted volume effect of nanoparticles during the modified microemulsion polymerization, were mainly influenced by the reaction temperature, the lower the reaction temperature, the higher the syndiotacticity of the products. The syndiotacticity of the product decreased obviously when the polymerization was carried out at a temperature far above the T_g of the resulting polymer. It was also shown that the tacticity of the polymer was affected by the monomer structure, a monomer with the bulkier alkyl side group would liable to result in a polymer with richer syndiotacticity. Possible mechanism of rich‐syndiotacticity was also discussed.     

Determination of Free Diterpenes in Green and Roasted Coffees

The three coffee diterpenes cafestol, kahweol, and 16-O-methylcafestol are mostly esterified with fatty acids. Little has been published about the diterpenes occurring in the free form. By means of gel permeation chromatography on Bio Beads S-X3, it is now possible to simultaneously analyze and quantify the small amounts of these compounds by RP-HPLC. In this way, free kahweol was first proved to be an ingredient of Robusta coffee. Various Arabica and Robusta coffees – both green and roasted – were investigated. Free diterpenes were found in green coffees in amounts below 200 mg/kg dry matter. In comparison to the respective total diterpene content determined by the same HPLC method after saponification of the coffee oil, the proportion of free diterpenes ranged from 0.7 to 3.5 %. During the roasting process, the three uncombined diterpenes behaved similarly: free 16-O-methylcafestol, cafestol as well as kahweol were degraded with increasing roasting temperature.     

Reliable characterization of coffee bean aroma profiles by automated headspace solid phase microextraction-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry with the support of a dual-filter mass spectra library

This investigation is based on the automated solid phase microextraction GC-MS analysis of the volatile fraction of a variety of coffee bean matrices. Volatile analytes were extracted by headspace (HS)-SPME which was achieved with the support of automated instrumentation. The research was directed towards various important aspects relating to coffee aroma analysis: monitoring of the volatile fraction formation during roasting; chromatographic differentiation of the two main coffee species (Arabica and Robusta) and of a single species from different geographical origins; evaluation of the influence of specific industrial treatments prior to roasting. Reliable peak assignment was carried out through the use of a recently laboratory-constructed "flavour and fragrance" library and a dual-filter MS spectral search procedure. Further emphasis was placed on the automated SPME instrumentation and on its ability to supply highly repeatable chromatographic data.     

The Effect of Brewing Process Parameters on Antioxidant Activity and Caffeine Content in Infusions of Roasted and Unroasted Arabica Coffee Beans Originated from Different Countries

Coffee is one of the most often consumed beverages almost all over the world. The multiplicity of beans, as well as the methods and parameters used to brew, encourages the optimization of the brewing process. The study aimed to analyze the effect of roasting beans, the brewing technique, and its parameters (time and water temperature) on antioxidant activity (determined using several in vitro methods), total polyphenols, flavonoids, and caffeine content. The infusions of unroasted and roasted Arabica beans from Brazil, Colombia, India, Peru, and Rwanda were analyzed. In general, infusions prepared from roasted beans had higher antioxidant activity and the content of above-mentioned compounds. The hot brew method was used to obtain infusions with a higher antioxidant activity, while the cold brew with higher caffeine content. The phenolic compound content in infusions prepared using both techniques depended on the roasting process. Moreover, the bean’s origin, roasting process, and brewing technique had a significant effect on the tested properties, in contrary to brewing time and water temperature (below and above 90 °C), which had less impact. The results confirm the importance of coffee brewing optimization.     

NIRS and Aquaphotomics Trace Robusta-to-Arabica Ratio in Liquid Coffee Blends

Coffee is both a vastly consumed beverage and a chemically complex matrix. For a long time, an arduous chemical analysis was necessary to resolve coffee authentication issues. Despite their demonstrated efficacy, such techniques tend to rely on reference methods or resort to elaborate extraction steps. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and the aquaphotomics approach, on the other hand, reportedly offer a rapid, reliable, and holistic compositional overview of varying analytes but with little focus on low concentration mixtures of Robusta-to-Arabica coffee. Our study aimed for a comparative assessment of ground coffee adulteration using NIRS and liquid coffee adulteration using the aquaphotomics approach. The aim was to demonstrate the potential of monitoring ground and liquid coffee quality as they are commercially the most available coffee forms. Chemometrics spectra analysis proved capable of distinguishing between the studied samples and efficiently estimating the added Robusta concentrations. An accuracy of 100% was obtained for the varietal discrimination of pure Arabica and Robusta, both in ground and liquid form. Robusta-to-Arabica ratio was predicted with R²CV values of 0.99 and 0.9 in ground and liquid form respectively. Aquagrams results accentuated the peculiarities of the two coffee varieties and their respective blends by designating different water conformations depending on the coffee variety and assigning a particular water absorption spectral pattern (WASP) depending on the blending ratio. Marked spectral features attributed to high hydrogen bonded water characterized Arabica-rich coffee, while those with the higher Robusta content showed an abundance of free water structures. Collectively, the obtained results ascertain the adequacy of NIRS and aquaphotomics as promising alternative tools for the authentication of liquid coffee that can correlate the water-related fingerprint to the Robusta-to-Arabica ratio.